As a visible light communication technique for transmitting information by means of an image or a moving image displayed on a display or the like, a system is known in which a particular two-dimensional code (QR code) or the like is displayed in a portion of a displayed image and an image of the two-dimensional code is taken with a camera such as one in a portable telephone set to receive information.
For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2007-163233 includes a description of an arrangement for generating malfunction diagnosis data including an abnormality signal indicating an abnormality when the abnormality is detected by a vehicle navigation system, converting the malfunction diagnosis data into a symbol code (such as a bar code or a two-dimensional code) and displaying the symbol code on a display device to enable a user to visually recognize the malfunction diagnosis data by reading the displayed symbol code through a portable terminal device.
Also, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2006-020204 includes a description of an arrangement for obtaining various content by reading via a terminal device a two-dimensional code printed on a display medium and by accessing a server unit which provides content such as images and sounds, and which is identified from information in the read two-dimensional code.
Visible light communication techniques such as described above, however, entail a problem in that when a two-dimensional code is displayed, for example, on a large display used on a street, the two-dimensional code occupies a portion of an image (public image) such as an advertisement displayed to the public to impair the appearance of the image.